The Scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries encouraged many different nations to become involved in colonialism. In this time period, competing European powers carved up the continent of Africa between themselves, due to a variety of political and economic motives. Generally, these powers benefited from these land acquisitions. However, Germany’s neo-imperialist experience was unlike that of the other powers. Within the colony of Namibia, located in South West Africa, the real advantages that Germany received were far outweighed by the disadvantages the German empire faced.

Although Germany received elevated political status from occupying colonies, the economic and military efforts that were invested in maintaining and obtaining its colony of Namibia could not justify this elevated political position. Through the means of imperialism, Germany hoped that it would consolidate its position as an international power. This would be done by strengthening the German economy, spreading German influence, and gaining political status. Firstly, between 1875 and 1914, holding a large colonial empire was a symbol of national prestige.

At the time, acquiring colonies was a symbol of status, and the greatness of a colony was measured in colonial possession (Cowie 1986, p48). For Germany, as an emerging power, colonial acquisition was therefore seen to be of paramount importance. If Germany wanted to be compared to the other major powers such as Britain and France, she would have to control an impressive colonial empire. During this time period, the “Kaiser Wilhelm I and his government demanded that Germany be given equal status with France and the United Kingdom, including in colonial possessions,” (Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopaedia, 2005).

The Kaiser clearly outlines that Germany desired an elevated political status. But in order for Germany to be recognised as an influential state, it must first have an impressive portfolio of colonies. Hence, Germany desired to accomplish an increase in national prestige through the possession of colonies. Secondly, Germany was persuaded into colonialism by the possibility of an increase in her international power and influence. As Schuller states: “Many of Germany’s ideas on imperialism were inspired by France and Britain … It seemed logical to seem that colonies were a good idea, because these two powers had them.

A simple thought resulted; if Germany had colonies, it too would be as dominant as France and Britain … Colonisation would prove Germany to be a force to be reckoned with. ” (Schuller, 2006) As Germany was trying to emulate France and Britain’s success, it seemed valid to think that the same process of colonial expansion could be applied to Germany’s case. Following the examples of Britain and France, all Germany had to do was acquire a large colonial empire, and she would have the same amount of power and influence that the other powers enjoyed.

The lure of being able to rival magnificent powers such as Britain and France proved to be too much for Germany to resist. The possibility of international greatness was one of the contributing factors that convinced Germany to become imperialist. Thirdly, Germany was enticed into imperialism by the possibility of economic gains in Africa. During the time period, many other countries were exploiting Africa’s natural resources for a healthy profit. A German political analyst of the time Freidrich Fabri states “Colonies will have a salutary effect on our economic situation, as well as our entire national progress” (Fabri 1987).

Although this statement may have been flase, Fabri, along with many other authors thought that colonising areas of Africa would not only establish Germany as a political power, but also return great profits for Germany. This belief was all that was needed to convince the German government to colonise. This opinion can also be seen in the German public, as one source states that “German settlers were eager to come to south-east Africa, as they were seeking economic possibilities outside Europe,” (A Rosenberg, 2008).

This shows that there was support from Germans to colonise Africa not just for political gain, but for economic interest as well. Germany was motivated into imperialism by economic opportunities, being recognised as a political power with an increase of international status, and being able to exercise the power and influence that would come with colonies. Germany’s imperialist experience in Namibia came with several advantages. These advantages were of a political and economic nature.

Benefits experienced included an increase of trade with other powers, an increased amount of political influence, and the control over valuable resources in South West Africa. Firstly, Namibia contained many valuable resources, which Germany had control over. Resources in Namibia included diamonds, rubber plantations, copper, lead and gold (Unknown Author, 2004). This stockpile of valuable resources meant that Germany could make massive profits if the correct steps were taken. Out of all of these commodities, not only is diamond the most valuable, but it was the most abundant in South West Africa.

Access to these minerals greatly expanded Germany’s portfolio of tradable commodities. Secondly, Germany received large profits from trading its colony’s resources with other powers colonies. The direct trade between Germany and Britain colonies in 1910 was nearly 630 000 British pounds. Over two thirds of this income was from South West African territories (Henderson 1962, p59). Also, in 1912 German colonies exported 573 000 pounds worth of rubber to other countries (Henderson 1962, p59). In this time period, German colonies were very profitable.

However, it is possible that these figures may have been exaggerated by German officials due to their desire to be seen as a powerful and profitable nation. Nevertheless, Germany was making a healthy profit off its colonies. Thirdly, Germany’s possession of colonies in Africa meant that Germany now had a considerable amount of political influence and power. During the Conference of Berlin in 1884-85, Germany exercised its newly found bargaining power. Prince Bismark was able to make a deal with Britain using his colonial possession in Africa. A British Earl G.

Granville quotes: “We (Britain) are uncommonly grateful to Prince Bismark…. Our being left with a free hand in Egypt we owe when all is said to Germany’s good will. ” (Granville 1963, p100) The Earl states that Britain is uncommonly grateful for Germany’s help in securing Egypt. However, Germany did not lend its support without a price. Prince Bismark expected in return that the British would accept German colonial ambitions in Africa and elsewhere (Cowie 1986, p82). In this conference, Germany has used its influential position in Africa to gain support from Britain.

An occupation of colonies meant that Germany now had the political power to affect events in Africa, and bargain with international power for its own advantage. Through occupying land in Africa Germany’s economy developed for a period, it controlled many valuable resources, and now had increasing amount of political power. Although Germany received advantages from its colonisation of Namibia, these advantages were drowned out by the many economic disadvantages experienced in the colony. The imperialist nation struggled to organise its funds uccessfully, which lead to a poor profit from its colonies, and insufficient officials were present in the colony of Namibia. Firstly, when Germany first gained control of Namibia, not enough funds were invested to earn a profit off the colony. Economic advancements were constantly hampered by a lack of working capital. The main German corporate enterprise, which was comprised of some of the richest men in Germany, committed only 408 000 marks, or about 24 000 British pounds (Cocker, 1999, p295). This lack of funds meant that the colony could never reach its full potential, and little would be accomplished.

Financial analyst E Gorges comments on the German effort to develop Namibia: “Trying to achieve anything with such ridiculously small working capital, was as absurd as the idea of a man who would try to cut a tunnel through the alps with a pickaxe. ” (E Gorges, 1918) Gorges tells of how difficult it was for Germany to make any economic gains within Namibia, and how little progress was actually being made in the colony. This lack of funding was one of the major faults which contributed to the colony of Namibia failing. This in turn led to a second major problem for Germany.

Because of the miniscule amount of capital invested initially, it took Germany far too long to start to make a profit off its colonies. Diamonds were not found in South West Africa until 1908, and rubber exports only started to thrive in 1912 (Henderson 1962, p59). This was very late in Germany’s colonial history, considering that Germany had control of colonies since 1884 (Cocker 1999, p296). It took Germany more than 20 years to start making a healthy profit from its colonies. Also, Germany’s colonies were confiscated by the League of Nations at the end of World War One in the Treaty of Versailles (Truman 2006).

To add to the problem, Germany could not support its diamond trade during World War One, as the country would no longer trade with other competing powers, and it could not financially support the mining of diamonds during the war. Hence, Germany only experienced profit from Namibia’s diamonds from 1908 until the start of World War One, which is only a period of seven years. The small amount of profit made in this short time period could hardly justify Germany’s efforts to possess overseas colonies. The third problem that Germany faced in Namibia was the lack of German officials, which led to a ack of German authority. In 1888, only three German officials were present in the country (M Cocker, p295, 1999). This severe shortage of staff meant that the German influence within Namibia was very small, and they were in no position to press authority over their Africa subjects. 4 years later, due to the lack of German authority, the threat of tribal violence forced German officials to retreat to British protection in Walvis Bay, and the German colony collapsed amidst great humiliation (M Cocker, p295, 1999).

The lack of German staff, and therefore a lack of German authority inevitably led to indigenous uprisings in Namibia. This shortage of German staff also meant that the colonisers could not protect themselves from the tribal warriors, and were forced to retreat to British territory. Not only did this mean that Germany momentarily lost control of the colony, but Germany also experienced great embarrassment because of the incident.

Germany’s colonial experience was riddled with economic disadvantages like a lack of staff, taking too long to exploit the colonies resources and insufficient capital, but this was not the end of Germany’s problems in Namibia. As well as the numerous economic weaknesses in the colony of Namibia, Germany also suffered when maintaining and obtaining the colony. The German government was constantly defeating uprisings from the native tribes, who were outraged by the brutality and exploitation that was forced upon them. The tribe which was involved in the most conflicts was the Herero tribe.

In 1904, on the eve of the greatest Herero uprising, the chief of the tribe wrote: “If we rebel, we will be annihilated in battle since our people are practically unarmed and without ammunition, but the cruelty and injustice of the Germans have driven us to despair and our leaders and our people both feel that death has lost its terrors because of the conditions under which we now live. ” (Maherero, 1904, Quoted by Rosenberg, 2008) The chief of the Herero tribe expresses not only his, but the emotions of his whole tribe towards the German invaders.

As he is the leader of the tribe opposing Germany, it is possible that he may have exaggerated the situation in order to motivate his warriors. Due to his bias against the Germans facts may have been supported and others omitted to support the chief’s argument. He states that even though his people do not have a fighting chance against the Germans, it is still necessary to rebel because of the agony that his people have gone through. Over the next few months, the uprising was successful as the Germans were caught by surprise, and were not ready for war (Rosenberg, 2008).

This early success in the Herero’s campaign against the Germans was a fleeting moment of victory. The Germans were on the back foot – losing a war to a primitive African tribe, which bought great humiliation on the emerging power. This humiliation overshadowed the prestige that Germany had previously gained from occupying colonies in Africa. However, the Herero tribe’s success was short-lived. The new German General in Namibia saw that the only path to victory was the compete annihilation of the Herero tribe, and issued his extermination order to spare no Herero (Rosenberg, 2008).

Even for the time, this was an extremely barbaric solution to the problem that German authorities faced. Not only was the genocide of the Herero people socially unacceptable, but it was also a violation of basic human rights. Out of the Herero population of 80 000, it is estimated that only 16 000 survived the genocide (Rosenberg, 2008). Germany thought that it was necessary to eliminate this whole tribe in order to be unchallenged in Namibia. This shows how difficult it was for Germany to gain control and maintain its colony in South West Africa. Germany also struggled to defeat a second native tribe.

Over the two years after Germany defeated the Herero tribe, the Nama tribe fought a fierce guerrilla was which the Germans were unable to pacify (Rosenberg, 2008). This style of warfare was particularly effective against the German invaders, and Germany received many casualties during this war. This guerrilla war shows how determined the natives were to be free from foreign control, and the lengths that they would go to to hinder German progress. The process of obtaining control of Namibia was extremely difficult for Germany, as they were involved in many conflicts with the native peoples.

In conclusion, the benefits that Germany received throughout its imperialist experience could not justify the difficulties that it faced as a nation. Germany was motivated into imperialism by the possibility of increased political and economic power, but the military and economic disadvantages experienced far outweighed the small amounts of profit and political influence that was achieved throughout the campaign. Germany’s showed severe aggression and cruelty in its occupation of Namibia, but still had nothing to show by the end of its occupation in Africa.

It should be appreciated that at this point in time the nationalists in Germany were opposed to what the conservatives and monarchists wanted for Germany: in effect they were opposed to the established order of authority. This was not to change throughout the on coming hundred years, and remained as a familiar trait of German nationalism, continuously demanding from the established government further concessions. This is evident as early as 1813, during the battle of Leipzig, where those who felt passionate enough about their nation, felt that Germany should have a collective army. These men fought in the nationalist volunteer...

German expressionism is a movement that started post World War 1, and before the Second World War. It used a unique technique of shadowing and distinctive camera angles. The films during the movement told stories that mimicked the forbidding reality of the German's life. For example, in "The Cabinet of Dry. Calamari," the set design was painted to get the specific diagonals and claustrophobic atmosphere. Throughout the film, the viewer almost experiences the madness that is happening on the set. The music pushes down on your brain, creating a feeling of uneasiness. The monotone music combined with the asymmetrical diagonals...

Until the nineteenth century, music was generally regarded as an international language. Folk music had always been in place and linked directly with particular regions. On a larger scale though, European music was a device for expression through the application of Italian techniques and styles. In other words, its technical vocabulary was Italian, and from the time of the early baroque, European music, in general, had evolved its styles and technical devices from the developments of Italian composers. Furthermore, court opera was nearly always performed in Italian, whether in Dresden or in London, no matter who composed it or where...

German Shepherd Dog The German Shepherd is not only one of the world's most popular companion dogs, but also probably the most widely used breed for service work. The development of the German Shepherd Dog, along with a number of existing breeds, helped pioneer the modern use of dogs for service and community work that we can see today. For a breed of dog that has only been officially recognised for just over 100 years, it has made an outstanding contribution to mankind worldwide. The origins of the breed came from various sheep dogs found in Germany during the last...

The National Socialist German Workers' Party almost died one morning in 1919. It numbered only a few dozen grumblers' it had no organization and no political ideas. But many among the middle class admired the Nazis' muscular opposition to the Social Democrats. And the Nazis themes of patriotism and militarism drew highly emotional responses from people who could not forget Germany's prewar imperial grandeur. In the national elections of September 1930, the Nazis garnered nearly 6. 5 million votes and became second only to the Social Democrats as the most popular party in Germany. In Northeim, where in 1928 Nazi...

The National Socialist German Workers' Party almost died one morning in 1919. It numbered only a few dozen grumblers' it had no organization and no political ideas. But many among the middle class admired the Nazis' muscular opposition to the Social Democrats. And the Nazis themes of patriotism and militarism drew highly emotional responses from people who could not forget Germany's prewar imperial grandeur. In the national elections of September 1930, the Nazis garnered nearly 6. 5 million votes and became second only to the Social Democrats as the most popular party in Germany. In Northeim, where in 1928 Nazi...

Another issue that is also highly poignant in many German Expressionist films, although perhaps not in a clear, obvious way, is that of sexuality. Nosferatu is an example of this, contrasting Ellen's conventional and perhaps boring relationship with Hutter to Orlock's dark, sexual power over her. However, the film seems to project the message that 'Nosferatu stands for raw carnal desire which must be kept in check in the interest of higher spiritual values' (Elsaesser, 2001). This is a similar example to that of authority - sexuality is a power that can be used for evil, and therefore should...

The colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia were located in separate regions of the New World and had many social and economic variations. The very laws and ideas these people have put into work are what have shaped America into the county it is today. When looking at these two colonies we know one thing is for sure, trade, land, religion, and natural resources were vital parts of their being. In this free-response essay I will contrast the colonies by how their societies were ran and how their economies affected their way of life. Before I discuss the differences in these...

The following six articles dealing with aspects of romanticism in England, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain were presented in 1937 and in 1938 before a Group of the Modern Language Association of America, General Topics Il: Critical Study of Romanticism. The Group has no responsibility for their publication.‘ Each discussion represents an individual method of approach to this broad and difﬁcult subject. If there is a consequent loss of such unity as might come from a series of articles written by a single author, there may be something gained in variety and comprehensiveness, No one article is written primarily for...

The Spanish settlements in the American Southwest and the English colonies in New England of the seventeenth century can be contrasted in primarily two ways. First, their politics were based on entirely different ruling classes and systems of government. Second, they employed different avenues of economic development. The Spanish settlements began with Cortes and others conquering the Native Americans of South, Central, and parts of Southwestern North America. After eradicating a large portion of the Native American population, the Spanish began to intermarry into the Native American gene pool. Consequently, only portions of the population were pureblooded Spaniards. These Spaniards...

At artscolumbia.org you will find a wide variety of top-notch essay and term essay samples on any possible topics absolutely for free. Want to add some juice to your work? No problem! Here you will also find the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your research essay well-formatted and your essay highly evaluated.

Sara
from Artscolumbia

Hi there, would you like to get such an essay? How about receiving a customized one? Check it out goo.gl/Crty7Tt

The Scramble for Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries encouraged many different nations to become involved in colonialism. In this time period, competing European powers carved up the continent of Africa between themselves, due to a variety of political and economic motives. Generally, these powers benefited from these land acquisitions. However, Germany’s neo-imperialist experience was unlike that of the other powers. Within the colony of Namibia, located in South West Africa, the